which chassis to buy?

[Alexei]

hello, im interested in a offroad car, but have never had one before.
i like the look of the Tamiya Highlift and RC4WD Trail Finder 2, probably leaning towards the Trail Finder 2, as the Tamiya Highlift would need more work to make it more capable.
i like the scale aspect, but i will not be doing competions.

how is the Trail Finder 2, any weakness to watch out for? is there other alternatives to check out?

[rkj__]

The most popular right now are probably:

Axial SCX 10ii
Traxxas TRX4
Element Enduro

[talltee9]

I don't know much about the tf2. The seem really scale. And that's more your thing I'd also look at the ssd trail king kit. I personally own a trx4 and as far as performance. I'm certainly happy with is. Not not mention its pretty scale enough for me. A rtr tf2 is soo much more expensive but id say by the one you want so you spend less in the end.

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[Alexei]

i like the Toyota body shells for the Trail Finder 2, which im very particular about too. but i would want something what doesnt just look good, but is quality too. and that RC4WD stuff is expensive, so it better be good.
i know of the Axial SCX 10ii and Traxxas TRX4, but not Element Enduro. will check that out.
never heard of the ssd trail king either, will also have a look at that.

[meatmonkey]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but RC4wd has the scale thing down, but not quality or durability. Go poke around the TF2 subforum here to get an idea of what your getting into. If your even remotely hard on equipment your going to find the TF2 platforms quirks and downsides quickly.

I'd suggest getting just the Toyota body from RC4wd, and then sticking it atop an SSD trailking. Then you get your scale body with an excellent chassis.

[Alexei]

i have looked a bit in the TF2 forums, so far there isnt really anyting that is turning me away from it. i read the hardware is not too good, anoying for such expensive kit, but i can just replace that with something better.
most of the other kits is with link suspension which im not really interested in.

[JimInMiami]

Originally Posted by Alexei

i have looked a bit in the TF2 forums, so far there isnt really anyting that is turning me away from it. i read the hardware is not too good, anoying for such expensive kit, but i can just replace that with something better.
most of the other kits is with link suspension which im not really interested in.

I gather from your comment that you are going with a leaf spring setup. If all you intend to do is mild trail running then the TF2 will be fine provided you don’t mind making repairs as needed. I think you might eventually become frustrated however by the limitations of that platform so would make the following suggestion instead.

Get a competent chassis, several good options were provided above (personal favorite is the Element Enduro) and get TWO bodies for it. Your dream scale Toyota for the trails and a Lexan beater for when you feel like hitting the rocks and doing some serious crawling.

That way you’ll have the best of both worlds and won’t become frustrated.

[svt923]

Originally Posted by Alexei

i have looked a bit in the TF2 forums, so far there isnt really anyting that is turning me away from it. i read the hardware is not too good, anoying for such expensive kit, but i can just replace that with something better.
most of the other kits is with link suspension which im not really interested in.

It may be buried quite deep at this point but the main TF2 problems are stripping axle gears, stripping the threads in the axle housing that hold the knuckles on, adding the optional CVDs is basically a requirement, the stock center driveshafts are junk, the stock skid on everything but the Marlin gets stuck on everything, the rear leaf springs can get locked at compression with the stock mounts, and the plastic bumper mounts are way too soft and flexible.

Even with all of those faults, it ends up as a fun and capable truck with some mods.

[Alexei]

Originally Posted by JimInMiami

I gather from your comment that you are going with a leaf spring setup. If all you intend to do is mild trail running then the TF2 will be fine provided you don’t mind making repairs as needed. I think you might eventually become frustrated however by the limitations of that platform so would make the following suggestion instead.

Get a competent chassis, several good options were provided above (personal favorite is the Element Enduro) and get TWO bodies for it. Your dream scale Toyota for the trails and a Lexan beater for when you feel like hitting the rocks and doing some serious crawling.

That way you’ll have the best of both worlds and won’t become frustrated.

yes, the driving with leaf springs is what initially caught my interest. just looked at the Enduro, which have adjustable wheelbase and can fit the body im interested in. also saw you can make the front suspension the independant, that looks interesting.
the Enduro could be a good choice if i wont get a Trail Finder 2.

Originally Posted by svt923

It may be buried quite deep at this point but the main TF2 problems are stripping axle gears, stripping the threads in the axle housing that hold the knuckles on, adding the optional CVDs is basically a requirement, the stock center driveshafts are junk, the stock skid on everything but the Marlin gets stuck on everything, the rear leaf springs can get locked at compression with the stock mounts, and the plastic bumper mounts are way too soft and flexible.

Even with all of those faults, it ends up as a fun and capable truck with some mods.

it's stuff like that i want to know of before buying. it's an expensive kit, so it have to be good quality if i should buy it.
i do see many people being happy with the Trail Finder's, but i have no idea how much work and money has been put in it.

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by Alexei

i have looked a bit in the TF2 forums, so far there isnt really anyting that is turning me away from it. i read the hardware is not too good, anoying for such expensive kit, but i can just replace that with something better.
most of the other kits is with link suspension which im not really interested in.

I have a TF2 Marlin Crawler. It has been a fun rig to drive, but it had problems out of the box. You can take a look at my build thread to see what I did to make it a great rig. Not everything I did to mine needs to be done to make it great.
B-MOW buys a TF2 Marlin Crawler

[Alexei]

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

I have a TF2 Marlin Crawler. It has been a fun rig to drive, but it had problems out of the box. You can take a look at my build thread to see what I did to make it a great rig. Not everything I did to mine needs to be done to make it great.
B-MOW buys a TF2 Marlin Crawler

i have checked out your thread, it looks quite nice.
i dont think the problems sounds as bad as i thought, but really, for what it costs, there shouldnt be such problems out of the box.

if im going for a Trail Finder 2, then it will be the long wheel base version. but im not sure if the same parts will fit as it does with the Marlin version. or at least what parts to use, like correct length for drive shafts.

[Levi]

I'm late to the comments here. Been absent for a short while. The tf2 is a fun truck and pretty good on the quality, not the best, but good. I've modified mine and does pretty good on the trails. I really love driving my to. It performs and drives way different than anything else I've drove. It makes you learn a new way of driving. Its not like driving a trx4 or scx10. I love the hard body of the Toyota too. I say pick one up and have fun with it, you won't regret it from the sounds of it.

So what did you decide alexei?

[MrBlank]

Gmade Sawback is still the toughest, best performing and most affordable leaf sprung rig.

[Alexei]

Originally Posted by Levi

I'm late to the comments here. Been absent for a short while. The tf2 is a fun truck and pretty good on the quality, not the best, but good. I've modified mine and does pretty good on the trails. I really love driving my to. It performs and drives way different than anything else I've drove. It makes you learn a new way of driving. Its not like driving a trx4 or scx10. I love the hard body of the Toyota too. I say pick one up and have fun with it, you won't regret it from the sounds of it.

So what did you decide alexei?

still scratching my head. now im considering either a RC4WD Trailfinder 2 or a Element Enduro with IFS.

i definitely want something that i dont have to repair often.
i wont do rockcrawling, because that isnt really the part im interested in, and we dont have rocky terrain where i live anyway.

[Inspector86]

If you want dependable the TF2 is not what you want, get a TRX4 or SCX10ii/iii. My first truck was a TRX4 my second was a TF2. I now have 5 TRX4s and a couple of SCX10iis, the TF2 sets on the shelf collecting dust because it is a POS compared to my other trucks. The TF2 is poorly engineered, has soft plastic which causes the screws strip if you look at them wrong, it just does not perform as well as the TRX4 or SCX10ii and is way over priced for the quality. I would call the TF2 a very delicate crawler that will not take a great deal of abuse.